Fecal Microorganisms Research Articles

The impact of bacteriospermia on boar sperm storage and reproductive performance

Bacteriospermia is a documented risk to reproductive performance when using extended boar semen for artificial insemination. A substantial list of bacteria have been recovered from boar semen attributed to fecal, preputial, skin, and hair microorganisms, with these and other environmental bacteria from processing areas identified in doses prepared for artificial insemination. Gram-negative bacteria are most commonly recovered from extended doses, including both Enterobacteriaceae and environmental contaminants, such as those that inhabit water purification systems. The method of processing, distributing, and storing fresh liquid boar semen before insemination plays a role in bacterial growth dynamics and the degree to which the bacteria may damage the sperm or affect the sow. Not all bacterial isolates or contamination levels have the same impact on sperm, with multiple factors governing if and when storage longevity will be reduced through sperm-to-sperm agglutination, impaired motility, acrosome disruption, or loss of membrane viability. Suboptimal reproductive performance can occur because of reduced fertilizing capacity of the sperm or induction of a uterine environment hostile to sperm and/or embryonic survival. Effective bacterial control strategies are necessary to minimize the risk of bacteria contaminating extended semen doses, including monitoring programs designed for quick detection and intervention, should the need arise.

Solid Manure As a Source of Fecal Indicator Microorganisms: Release under Simulated Rainfall.

Understanding and quantifying microbial release from manure is a precondition to estimation and management of microbial water quality. The objectives of this work were to determine the effects of rainfall intensity and surface slope on the release of Escherichia coli, enterococci, total coliforms, and dissolved chloride from solid dairy manure and to assess the performance of the one-parametric exponential model and the two-parametric Bradford-Schijven model when simulating the observed release. A controlled-intensity rainfall simulator induced 1 h of release in runoff/leachate partitioning boxes at three rainfall intensities (30, 60, and 90 mm h(-1)) and two surface slopes (5% and 20%). Bacterial concentrations in initial release were more than 1 order of magnitude lower than their starting concentrations in manure. As bacteria were released, they were partitioned into runoff and leachate at similar concentrations, but in different volumes, depending on slope. Bacterial release occurred in two stages that corresponded to mechanisms associated with release of manure liquid- and solid-phases. Parameters of the two models fitted to the bacterial release dependencies on rainfall depth were not significantly affected by rainfall intensity or slope. Based on model performance tests, the Bradford-Schijven model is recommended for simulating bacterial release from solid manure.

Influência da qualidade microbiológica da água de dessedentação na morfologia intestinal de frangos de corte

Para avaliar se a qualidade microbiológica da água de dessedentação intervém na morfologia intestinal de frangos de corte, foram analisados o consumo semanal de água, a microbiologia de amostras de água, a microscopia eletrônica de varredura e a histologia do intestino delgado de frangos de corte tratados com água filtrada e não filtrada. Os frangos que ingeriram água filtrada tiveram acesso ao menor número de micro-organismos fecais (2,52±0,99 Número Mais Provável (NMP) de coliformes fecais e 1,17±1,25 NMP de Escherichia coli) em relação aos que ingeriram água não filtrada (3,62±0,67 NMP e 2,53±1,13 NMP). Aos 14, 21 e 45 dias de vida, foram colhidas amostras do duodeno, jejuno e íleo de 96 aves. Após rotina laboratorial, as amostras conservadas em glutaraldeído foram eletronmicrografadas e analisadas quanto à densidade de vilos e o material mantido em solução de Bouin foi destinado à confecção de lâminas histológicas que foram analisadas morfometricamente. O duodeno das aves que receberam água não filtrada apresentou maior densidade dos vilos em resposta à qualidade microbiológica da água. Na morfometria intestinal, observou-se que aves que receberam água não filtrada apresentaram aumento na profundidade das criptas intestinais e elevada altura das vilosidades em relação às aves que ingeriram água filtrada. Infere-se que a água filtrada, oferecida aos frangos de corte em um período de vida de 45 dias, favorece a manutenção da integridade intestinal.

Transmission of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli between cattle, humans and the environment in peri-urban livestock keeping communities in Morogoro, Tanzania

Urban and peri-urban livestock farming is expanding world-widely because of increased urbanization and demands for food of animal origin. Such farming practices pose a public health risk as livestock are reservoirs of several zoonotic pathogens. In an attempt to determine the fecal transmission between livestock and people, 100 household clusters keeping cattle in close proximity of humans were selected in urban and peri-urban areas of Morogoro in Tanzania. One hundred eighteen ampicillin and tetracycline resistant Escherichia coli (40 from human stool, 50 from cattle feces, 21 from soil and seven from water samples) were isolated from 44 different clusters. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of XbaI digested chromosomal DNA was used to compare the genetic relatedness of the ampicillin- and tetracycline-resistant E. coli isolates. Indistinguishable PFGE band patterns of the ampicillin- and tetracycline-resistant E. coli isolates were found in samples from 23 (52%) clusters. This suggests that transfer of fecal microorganisms between cattle, humans, water and soils within the farms and from livestock farms to the neighborhood occurred commonly. Logistic regression showed that animal housing infrastructures (Odd Ratio=11.2, 95% CI=1.1–119.3) were associated with E. coli showing identical PFGE types within and between clusters. There is a need to improve animal husbandry and manure management practices to reduce risks of transmission of enteropathogens between livestock and humans in urban and peri-urban farming.

Short-term storability of oil seed and walnut cake — microbiological aspect

We evaluated the microbiological safety, the short-term storability, and the macronutrients of oil seed cake (OSC) obtained from walnut (WnC), linseed (LC), and sunflower seed with hull (SC). The OSCs had 3.6–5.8% moisture content, 0.50–0.60 water activity (aw), 29.9–39.4% protein, 15.5–23.6% fat, and 36.6–48.0% dietary fibre content. The grinded OSCs could be stored in opaque plastic bags for 4 months at temperatures of 4 °C, 14 °C, and 25 °C. Total colony count of mesophilic microorganisms depending on oxygen demand and spore-forming ability, and faecal indicator microorganisms were determined during a 4-month storage term at 4 °C, 14 °C, and 25 °C using traditional culturing methods. The OSCs were free from sulphite-reducing Clostridia and coliforms, including Escherichia coli. Data were analyzed statistically by multifactor analysis of variance. Ascending order of the average contamination of the three products (log10 CFU g−1) was aerobic sporogenic bacteria (2.39), fungal count (2.51), total aerobic ...

Plant Growth Promotion Potential of Heavy Metal Resistant Bacteria From The Sewage Contaminated Coovum River, Chennai, India

Rivers contaminated with sewage are the most disturbed ecosystems due toanthropogenic activities such as release of heavy metals, organic pollutants andpharmaceuticals as well as faecal and pathogenic microorganisms, which coexist withthe indigenous microbial population. Coovum is such a much polluted river in Chennaicity, India. There have been several programs in operation and plan to remediate theCoovum river. In this context, the present study has aimed to explore some of the beneficialbacteria from this polluted river to be used for environmental and horticulturalapplications. A total of 43 bacteria were isolated from two different water samples collectedfrom Coovum river. Physicochemical parameters were analysed and found the water isnot suitable for either drinking purposes or irrigation purposes. As such, the Coovumwater also inhibited the germination and reduced growth of tested seeds and seedlings,respectively thus double confirms its unfitness for irrigation purposes. All these 43bacteria were screened for different plant growth promotion potentials such as productionof phytohormones (Indole Acetic Acid-IAA) and phosphate solubilization. They werealso characterized for the production of hydrolytic enzymes, heavy metal resistance andantibiotic resistance to characterize their bioremediation potential. While screening forIAA production, 7 strains were found to produce this plant growth promoting hormone.Similarly, 10 strains were able to solubilize phosphate. All the 17 strains were alsocharacterized for their production of lytic enzymes and found only nine strains were ableto show amylolytic activity and nine strains showed proteolytic activity. While screeningtheir antagonistic activity against plant pathogenic fungi, one strain has inhibited themycelia growth of

Clustering of water bodies in unpolluted and polluted environments based on Escherichia coli phylogroup abundance using a simple interaction database.

Different types of water bodies, including lakes, streams, and coastal marine waters, are often susceptible to fecal contamination from a range of point and nonpoint sources, and have been evaluated using fecal indicator microorganisms. The most commonly used fecal indicator is Escherichia coli, but traditional cultivation methods do not allow discrimination of the source of pollution. The use of triplex PCR offers an approach that is fast and inexpensive, and here enabled the identification of phylogroups. The phylogenetic distribution of E. coli subgroups isolated from water samples revealed higher frequencies of subgroups A1 and B23 in rivers impacted by human pollution sources, while subgroups D1 and D2 were associated with pristine sites, and subgroup B1 with domesticated animal sources, suggesting their use as a first screening for pollution source identification. A simple classification is also proposed based on phylogenetic subgroup distribution using the w-clique metric, enabling differentiation of polluted and unpolluted sites.

An explanation for differences in the process of colloid adsorption in batch and column studies

It is essential to understand the mechanisms that control virus and bacteria removal in the subsurface environment to assess the risk of groundwater contamination with fecal microorganisms. This study was conducted to explicitly provide a critical and systematic comparison between batch and column experiments. The aim was to investigate the underlying factors causing the commonly observed discrepancies in colloid adsorption process in column and batch systems. We examined the colloid adsorption behavior of four different sizes of carboxylate-modified latex (CML) microspheres, as surrogates for viruses and bacteria, on quartz sand in batch and column experiments over a wide range of solution ionic strengths (IS). Our results show that adsorption of colloids in batch systems should be considered as an irreversible attachment because the attachment/detachment model was found to be inadequate in describing the batch results. An irreversible attachment-blocking model was found to accurately describe the results of both batch and column experiments. The rate of attachment was found to depend highly on colloid size, solution IS and the fraction of the sand surface area favorable for attachment (Sf). The rate of attachment and Sf values were different in batch and column experiments due to differences in the hydrodynamic of the system, and the role of surface roughness and pore structure on colloid attachment. Results from column and batch experiments were generally not comparable, especially for larger colloids (≥0.5μm). Predictions based on classical DLVO theory were found to inadequately describe interaction energies between colloids and sand surfaces.

Faecal pollution loads in the wastewater effluents and receiving water bodies: a potential threat to the health of Sedibeng and Soshanguve communities, South Africa.

The discharge of untreated or inadequately treated effluents has been identified among the activities responsible for the spread of a wide range of potentially infectious agents. The aim of this study was to determine whether inadequate treatment of wastewater and the faecal pollution load of effluents and receiving water bodies in Sedibeng District and Soshanguve peri-urban area of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality could be a potential threat to the health of the surrounding communities. Variations in the counts of faecal indicator bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms and compliance of the effluents and receiving water bodies with South African and World Health Organization standards were assessed between August 2011 and May 2012 using culture-based methods and molecular techniques. The overall quality of effluents did not comply with the South African special standard of no risk for unrestricted irrigation (zero Escherichia coli/100 ml). The quality of the receiving water bodies did not comply with South African regulatory limits set for domestic purposes (zero E. coli/100 ml, <30 faecal enterococci/100 ml and <1 somatic coliphages/100 ml), for full contact recreation (<20 somatic coliphages/100 ml) and aquaculture (<10 E. coli/100 ml) and WHO standards for full and intermediate contact recreational use (<1 E. coli/100 ml and <40 faecal enterococci/100 ml, respectively). The PCR results revealed the prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms; between 0 and 60 % of samples tested positive for Salmonella Typhimurium and Shigella dysenteriae, and between 20 and 60% of samples tested positive for Vibrio cholerae. These findings demonstrated that potential health risks might be associated with the use of the target river waters for domestic, recreational and irrigation purposes. This study calls for a prompt intervention to improve wastewater management.

Interspecific variations in the faecal microbiota ofProcellariiformseabirds

Despite the enormous amount of data available on the importance of gut microbiota in vertebrates (especially mammals), there is no information available on the microbiota of seabirds. Procellariiformes are long-lived seabirds that consume a diet high in lipids and are characterised by their ability to produce and store large amount of stomach oils through the partial digestion of prey (with the exception of the Pelecanoididae). Examining the faecal microbiota of three Procellariiform species (short-tailed shearwater, common diving petrel and fairy prion) provided a unique opportunity to not only characterise the gastrointestinal (GI) microbial composition of seabirds but to also examine the influence of stomach oils on the microbial community. The results indicated that Procellariiform seabirds host a highly diverse community of faecal microorganisms, dominated by three phyla (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes) and that each species has its own species-specific GI microbiota. In addition, significant differences were observed in the microbial communities of oil-producing and non-oil-producing seabirds. This study is the first whole-community examination and classification of the faecal microbiota of Procellariiform seabirds.

Alternative for improving gut microbiota: use of Jerusalem artichoke and probiotics in diet of weaned piglets.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of Jerusalem artichoke and probiotics on defence activity of intestinal cells of weaning pigs. One hundred eighty piglets (7 weeks old) were fed with basal feed supplemented with Jerusalem artichoke, Lactobacillus reuteri and Pediococcus pentosaceus. After 5 weeks, the piglets were slaughtered and the gastrointestinal contents and intestine samples were taken for analysis. Results demonstrated that in pigs fed basal diet with both probiotics and Jerusalem artichoke (5% of basal diet) (T3 group) had less (P<0.05) faecal Enterobacteriaceae microorganisms and coliforms and had more (P<0,05) faecal Lactobacillus than in pigs from other groups. Increase by 2% of Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli levels were seen only in control piglets (T1 group). E. coli O157 was found at the closing stage in the piglets fed basal diet with only Jerusalem artichoke powder (T2 group), but Salmonella enteritidis - only in T1 group. In jejunum of T2 group piglets, large deterioration of crypts, a moderate inflammation process and plasmocytes were seen, but in jejunum of T3 group piglets - branching of apical surface of villi, moderate degeneration and mitosis of enterocytes were observed. A moderate number of apoptotic cells in T2 group was found mainly in colon inflammation cells and plasmocytes, but for T3 group piglets--both in jejunum enterocytes and migrating cells. Our study indicated that beta-defensin 2 and 3 expression in jejunum and colon segments were incresed in T1 and T2 groups. Findings suggest that feeding with probiotics and Jerusalem artichoke significantly improves the microbial contents, defence and regeneration processes in the intestine of pigs.

Water Health Status in Lower Reaches of River Ganga, India

Several factors affect microorganism survival and distribution in the aquatic environment including humans and animal populations. Present study assessed the influence of physicochemical factors on the distribution of presumptive coliform along the stretch of River Ganga in West Bengal, India. Nevertheless, Ganga water is polluted by drainage waste released from various urban and rural regions, agricultural and domestic wastes, industrial effluents and human activities. Drains discharge major portions of domestic wastes and untreated sewages, into the aquatic environment. Physico-Chemical factors affecting the survival of fecal microorganisms in the River Ganga as per the study included parameters like pH, conductivity, alkalinity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) etc. In Ganga some parameters were seen to vary dramatically along the stretch. All the stations had the total coliform counts of more than 500 and Tribeni being the upstream station had lower value for coliforms. Ganga Sagar was found to have the least count for coliforms because of high salinity.

Occurrence of Diarrheagenic Virulence Genes and Genetic Diversity in Escherichia coli Isolates from Fecal Material of Various Avian Hosts in British Columbia, Canada

Contamination of surface water by fecal microorganisms originating from human and nonhuman sources is a public health concern. In the present study, Escherichia coli isolates (n = 412) from the feces of various avian host sources were screened for various virulence genes: stx1 and stx2 (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli [STEC]), eae (enteropathogenic E. coli [EPEC]), est-h, est-p, and elt (encoding heat-stable toxin [ST] variants STh and STp and heat-labile toxin [LT], respectively) (enterotoxigenic E. coli [ETEC]), and ipaH (enteroinvasive E. coli [EIEC]). None of the isolates were found to be positive for stx1, while 23% (n = 93) were positive for only stx2, representing STEC, and 15% (n = 63) were positive for only eae, representing EPEC. In addition, five strains obtained from pheasant were positive for both stx2 and eae and were confirmed as non-O157 by using an E. coli O157 rfb (rfbO157) TaqMan assay. Isolates positive for the virulence genes associated with ETEC and EIEC were not detected in any of the hosts. The repetitive element palindromic PCR (rep-PCR) fingerprint analysis identified 143 unique fingerprints, with an overall Shannon diversity index of 2.36. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that the majority of the STEC and EPEC isolates were genotypically distinct from nonpathogenic E. coli and clustered independently. MANOVA analysis also revealed spatial variation among the E. coli isolates, since the majority of the isolates clustered according to the sampling locations. Although the presence of virulence genes alone cannot be used to determine the pathogenicity of strains, results from this study show that potentially pathogenic STEC and EPEC strains can be found in some of the avian hosts studied and may contaminate surface water and potentially impact human health.

From Stool Transplants to Next-Generation Microbiota Therapeutics

The epidemic of Clostridium difficile infection fueled by new virulent strains of the organism has led to increased use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). The procedure is effective for even the most desperate cases after failure of multiple courses of antibiotics. The approach recognizes microbiota to be integral to normal human physiology, and microbiota being used in FMT represents a new class of therapeutics. Imbalance in the composition and altered activity of the microbiota are associated with many diseases. Consequently, there is growing interest in applying FMT to non-C difficile indications. However, this may succeed only if microbiota therapeutics are developed systematically, based on mechanistic understanding, and applying up-to-date principles of microbial ecology. We discuss 2 pathways in the development of this new therapeutic class: whole microbial communities separated from donor stool and an assembly of specific fecal microorganisms grown in vitro.

Gut microbiota: in sickness and in health.

Gut microbiota: in sickness and in health.

Microbial source tracking markers for detection of fecal contamination in environmental waters: relationships between pathogens and human health outcomes

Microbial source tracking (MST) describes a suite of methods and an investigative strategy for determination of fecal pollution sources in environmental waters that rely on the association of certain fecal microorganisms with a particular host. MST is used to assess recreational water quality and associated human health risk, and total maximum daily load allocations. Many methods rely on signature molecules (markers) such as DNA sequences of host-associated microorganisms. Human sewage pollution is among the greatest concerns for human health due to (1) the known risk of exposure to human waste and (2) the public and regulatory will to reduce sewage pollution; however, methods to identify animal sources are receiving increasing attention as our understanding of zoonotic disease potential improves. Here, we review the performance of MST methods in initial reports and field studies, with particular emphasis on quantitative PCR (qPCR). Relationships among human-associated MST markers, fecal indicator bacteria, pathogens, and human health outcomes are presented along with recommendations for future research. An integrated understanding of the advantages and drawbacks of the many MST methods targeting human sources advanced over the past several decades will benefit managers, regulators, researchers, and other users of this rapidly growing area of environmental microbiology.

Survival of Escherichia coli in stormwater biofilters

Biofilters are widely adopted in Australia for stormwater treatment, but the reported removal of common faecal indicators (such as Escherichia coli (E. coli)) varies from net removal to net leaching. Currently, the underlying mechanisms that govern the faecal microbial removal in the biofilters are poorly understood. Therefore, it is important to study retention and subsequent survival of faecal microorganisms in the biofilters under different biofilter designs and operational characteristics. The current study investigates how E. coli survival is influenced by temperature, moisture content, sunlight exposure and presence of other microorganisms in filter media and top surface sediment. Soil samples were taken from two different biofilters to investigate E. coli survival under controlled laboratory conditions. Results revealed that the presence of other microorganisms and temperature are vital stressors which govern the survival of E. coli captured either in the top surface sediment or filter media, while sunlight exposure and moisture content are important for the survival of E. coli captured in the top surface sediment compared to that of the filter media. Moreover, increased survival was found in the filter media compared to the top sediment, and sand filter media was found be more hostile than loamy sand filter media towards E. coli survival. Results also suggest that the contribution from the tested environmental stressors on E. coli survival in biofilters will be greatly affected by the seasonality and may vary from one site to another.

Microbial Profile of Soil-Free versus In-Soil Grown Lettuce and Intervention Methodologies to Combat Pathogen Surrogates and Spoilage Microorganisms on Lettuce.

Aquaponics is an effective method to practice sustainable agriculture and is gaining popularity in the US; however, the microbial safety of aquaponically grown produce needs to be ascertained. Aquaponics is a unique marriage of fish production and soil-free produce (e.g., leafy greens) production. Fish are raised in fresh water tanks that are connected to water filled beds where fruits and vegetables are grown. The fish bi-products create nutrient-rich water that provides the key elements for the growth of plants and vegetables. The objective of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the microbial safety and quality of aquaponic lettuce and soil grown lettuce (conventional, bagged, certified organic, and field lettuce). Following this, an intervention study was performed to combat foodborne pathogen surrogates (Salmonella and E. coli), spoilage, and fecal microorganisms using 2.5% acetic acid. The results of the comparative analysis study showed that aquaponically grown lettuce had significantly lower concentration of spoilage and fecal microorganisms compared to in-soil grown lettuce. The intervention study showed that diluted vinegar (2.5% acetic acid) significantly reduced Salmonella, E. coli, coliforms, and spoilage microorganisms on fresh lettuce by 2 to 3 log CFU/g. Irrespective of growing methods (in-soil or soilless), it is crucial to incorporate good agricultural practices to reduce microbial contamination on fresh produce. The intervention employed in this study can be proposed to small farmers and consumers to improve quality and safety of leafy greens.

AVALIAÇÃO DE LEIRAS ESTÁTICAS AERADAS NA COMPOSTAGEM DE CARCAÇAS DE FRANGO

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência do processo de compostagem em leiras estáticas aeradas, com aeração positiva, no tratamento da carcaça de frango, utilizando como materiais estruturantes e fontes de carbono, bagaço de cana-de-açúcar; palha de café e cama-de-frango. Os indicadores de eficiência utilizados foram, na estabilização da matéria orgânica (redução de SV, relação C/N e o índice CTC/COT) e na higienização (redução de microrganismos, coliformes termotolerantes e Samonella). Foram avaliados e comparados diferentes tratamentos quanto à eficiência na higienização do composto e estabilização da matéria orgânica, utilizando-se leiras estáticas aeradas. Foram utilizados os seguintes tratamentos: LEA01: bagaço de cana de açúcar, cama de frango e carcaça de frango inteira; LEA02: bagaço de cana de açúcar, cama de frango e carcaça de frango triturada; LEA03: palha de café, cama de frango e carcaça de frango triturada. As variáveis monitoradas foram: temperatura, relação C/N, sólidos voláteis (SV), pH, CTC e conteúdo de água. Verificouse também a evolução do índice CTC/COT, eliminação de Salmonella e redução de coliformes termotolerantes. Ao final do experimento verificou-se que a palha de café proporcionou melhores resultados na compostagem da carcaça de frango que o bagaço de cana de açúcar, já que proporcionou maior redução nos valores de SV. Além disso, os materiais produzidos, já na primeira fase (fase ativa) da compostagem, apresentaram índices CTC/COT superiores aos considerados adequados (1,7) para um composto considerado maturado. Quanto à higienização, a redução dos microrganismos Salmonella e coliformes termotolerantes atingiram níveis compatíveis com os estabelecidos na legislação CONAMA 375/2006.

Detection of human adenovirus, rotavirus and enterovirus in water samples collected on dairy farms from Tenente Portela, Northwest of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Viral gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases are a major concern for health in Brazil. A number of studies were conducted about the presence of viruses on water samples from Brazilian areas. However, the knowledge about the occurrence of viral contamination of drinking water sources in rural settings of the country is insufficient. On the present work, 15 samples from 5 dairy farms located at the municipality of Tenente Portela were collected and analysed for the presence of human adenoviruses (HAdV), as well as human enteroviruses (EV) and rotaviruses (RV). HAdV was present on 66.66% of the water samples, and have been found in all samples from artesian wells and springs, which are used as sources of drinking water for the individuals inhabiting those farms. EV and RV found only in one sample each. The detection rates of HAdV on the water from these dairy farms are alarming and point towards a situation of elevated environmental contamination by fecal microorganisms of human origin and poor basic sanitation conditions.